Trick or Treat? (I choose Trick)
by Drrrraco Malfoy Potter
Summary: They all go trick-or-treating...but when Nico suggests a "harmless" haunted house, there seems to be more trick than treat this Halloween. They're all trapped, and strange things begin happening. Really strange things. One by one, they're plucked off. (Leo's POV) T because I'm paranoid. Review and I will update. Rights to Rick.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long time (what, five minutes?) before the empty curb on the street became, well, occupied. An impish black-haired boy holding a toy gun and wearing a piece of jewelry on his chest (okay, fine, a manly pin!) walked up to the curb and checked his watch. He slumped onto the curve in an obvious silent sigh, and, after a while, pulled a pillow case out of his pocket on the skin-tight suit he was wearing.

Leo Valdez grinned. It was time to go trick-or-treating.

The road was empty except for the occasional pack of third through fifth graders. Leo frowned. He was supposed to meet Percy and Jason, and, well, everybody. He decided to wait a bit. After all, the candy giveaway had only started. The first house gave him a couple of kids holding a bowl filled with Hershey's Kisses. Leo took three and began scanning the road again. No sign of anyone. On the second house he got lucky. Because come on!

There was a bowl. An ENTIRE BOWL full of candy.

It's happened, right?

The "Please take one" sign mysteriously disappeared, and, well, suffice to say, Leo took more than one.

Hello? Entire bowl of candy?

Leo had just finished counting his new stash when a voice jolted him out of his candy-counting heaven.

"Put those back!"

Spinning around, Leo hid his pillowcase behind his back to come nose to nose with...Annabeth. She was holding her dagger and was dressed in full Greek armor. Next to her was Percy. Leo made eye contact with him and immediately looked away in a fit of laughs.

Percy grinned. He was wearing nothing but his camp half-blood t-shirt and jeans, with a huge horse mask that covered his face. "Oh, come on. We both know I look way better in this thing the you." he nodded, and pretended to show his muscles.

"Nuh-uh." Leo shook his head. "TEAM LEO FOR THE WIN!"

Both boys look at Annabeth, who shrugged. "You both look equally stupid. Now come on. We need to find Piper."

As they walked, Percy turned to Leo. "And what are _you_ supposed to be?"

Leo turned away in mock hurt. "Can't you see? Red costume? Pointy ears? Phaser? Communicater? Pointy eyebrows?"

Percy shrugged.

"Aw, come on. I'm Spock. The Vulcan! Vulcan as in Hephaestus? Do you know how long it took me to do these eyebrows?"

Annabeth raised one of _her_ eyebrows. "Doesn't Spock have a _blue_ shirt? Yours is red."

"Re-oh. Great, I'm a red shirt."

Percy smirked through his horse-mask. "I may not know a lot about Star Trek, but I know what happens to the red shirt on an away mission."

Leo sighed. "Don't worry, horse boy. I'm not dying on you anytime soon." He opened his mouth to say more, but Annabeth took off running, having spotted Hazel, Nico, Will, Reyna, Frank, Piper, and Jason.

Leo took a quick inventory. Frank was wearing a green shirt with green face paint and had "The Hulk" on his tee. Jason, (so predictable, that guy!) was Superman, of course. Hazel and Piper were both dressed up as pirates, Nico was a skeleton, Will was a medic from that video game...um...something or other, and Reyna was a simple vampire. The there was, of course, Leo as Spock, Annabeth as a Greek soldier, and Percy as an…

Um…

Percy as an….

They had been walking for about thirty seconds when Hazel interrupted them. "So what exactly are we supposed to _do?_ I mean-"

"Yeah," Reyna added, "Do we just walk up to these monster things and punch their lights out?"

"Uh...not exactly, but-" Jason began, but Leo cut him off with an _I got this!_ look.

"Ladies, ladies. Is this your first Halloween?" he asked, one pointed eyebrow raised when they nodded.

"My mother never let me go out," Hazel muttered, while Reyna, who had also never been able to get her father to let her go out at night, had lived with the Romans her for the past four years, working with Circe in between. Leo grinned devilishly. "Well, you go from house to house, say trick or treat, and the give your friend named Leo all your candy!"

Piper smiled and shook her head. "Don't give him any candy. He's already on a sugar high about 90% of the time."

Nico nodded. "I'll give you all the _candy_. I only like chocolate." For once the raven-haired son of Hades seemed to be enjoying himself. "Halloween is my favorite holiday."

Hazel scrunched up her face. "Too creepy for me." She walked up to a door and rang the bell. "Like this?"

Annabeth nodded, and turned her head when the door opened and three kids holding a bowl of colored sweetness grinned toothily at them all. They all shouted, " _Trick or treat!"_ except for Hazel and Reyna, who muttered something about tricks and treats and triangulating the position of the opposing team in war games.

They all took two or three pieces of candy. Percy immediately began eating his. Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Is...eating all your candy in one night a normal Halloween tradition?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I have no idea how he does that without being sick."

Leo stuffed a Starburst into his mouth. "Easy!" he shrugged, "You take this," Leo lifted up a Skittle, "and insert it here." He crammed the Skittle into his mouth. "Then you try to make it through the night without barfing."

Reyna looked slightly disgusted, but Will grinned. "I'm in!" and he stuffed a Hershey's kiss into his mouth.

* * *

It was only a matter of time before the streets swarmed with kids and the previously twilight sky had turned a deep blue. Will looked slightly troubled. "I'd better get back. My dad doesn't like me out after dark. He likes to keep an eye on me when he can."

Nico seemed a little crestfallen as Will walked away. Leo elbowed him. "Can't stand being away from your boyfriend, huh?"

He blushed, well, about as much as Nico di Angelo _could_ blush while still making even the lightest pink look like salmon.

Piper groaned, and Jason put his arm around her. Leo looked away. Hazel unwrapped a Tootsie Roll and sighed. "Why don't we...um...hit...another neighborhood. We've passed that house with the screaming skeleton girl twice.

There were grumbles, (mostly from Frank and Jason about how it would take _such_ a long time because EVERYONE else had to WALK, and then Hazel reminded them that not _everyone_ had the ability to fly.) and everyone set off.

It was quiet, until Percy took out his phone. Annabeth glared at him. "What in Hades are you doing? Put that thing away, _now_."

"AWWWWWW," Percy groaned, "But this walk is hatching all my eggs! I-ooooh, look! I got a Sandshrew! 852 cp! Out of a 5k egg! Dang!"

Hazel slapped the phone out of his hands. "Stop!"

Leo laughed. "Dude, you play Pokemon Go too? I'm a level eighteen, and I just got an aerodactyl. I've got a Vaporeon, Dragonite, Snorlax, Arcanine, and-oh, what team? Valor, right?"

Percy scowled. "Mystic. MYSTIC FOR THE WIN!"

Jason shrugged. "I'm an Instinct kind of person."

They all stopped. Leo shook his head disapprovingly. "Instinct, dude? Seriously?"

"What's wrong with Instinct?"

Hazel shrugged. "What's Pokemon, anyways?"

They all stared, except for Nico, who shrugged. "Nothing. Just mythical tiny monsters that people capture and cage in balls that are about ten times smaller than the actual Pokemon, then they train them to fight other Pokemon for a living.

If they lose, the Pokemon is knocked unconscious and has to be taken to a Pokemon Center because they are severely injured. They start the capturing and training when you're about, hmmm, ten. Also the main character has basically NO father at all, and should be sixteen but stays ten after, what, thirty years now?

The Pokemon fight in gyms, one gym per region. Apparently, gym leaders have to stay there their entire life, as far as I can tell. If you beat a gym, you get a badge. Get all the badges, become the best Pokemon master. This is nothing at all like the card game. The card game has coins, and cards. In addition to-."

Leo stared in amazement. "Dude," Frank said, "How do you know so much about Pokemon?"

Nico shrugged again. "Let's just say that I liked other things before Mythomagic. Now, moving on, I suggest we visit a haunted house. I know where we can find a really good one."

* * *

Reyna jumped about three feet in the air when the doorbell scream to life and cackled, "Enter, seekers, if you dare!"

Leo turned around, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had only been to a haunted house a couple of times before, but they were for little kids, with stuff like skeletons and spiders hung from very visible yarn. Nico had dropped many hints that this was the _real_ deal.

They stepped inside, prepared to meet a screaming werewolf or something, but found themselves face to face with a young man of around twenty. "Here for the haunted house?" he asked, and they all nodded.

He handed Leo a piece of paper. "Have fun!"

Leo stared at it. It wasn't a clue, or anything at all. It was an address. Or, more importantly, how to get there. Hazel took it from him. "This is only two houses that way. Come on!"

They raced forwards, only to find a mansion looming over them. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. _Werewolves,_ Leo thought giddily. The feeling subsided almost immediately when Piper rang the bell, Reyna looking anxiously at it as if it was going to explode. It did something even worse.

There was a rattling sound, quiet, but getting louder by the second. It rose to a screech, and the door flew open all by itself. Bats shrieked, and everyone (minus Nico) screamed as they came pouring out of the house and flew away into the darkness. The tiny wings and claws raked Leo's head, and he covered his face with his hands.

When he opened his eyes, there was a slip of paper on the ground. Jason picked it up and read the message on it, eyes wide.

 _Enter seeker, if you dare._

 _If you proceed, then just beware_

 _Of crawling things that lurk in dark_

 _One of which will leave a mark._

 _Through a maze of skin and bone_

 _A treasure found beneath the stone._

 _One will fail and one will die_

 _If they look in ruby's eye_

 _One will run and one will leave_

 _If they attempt to make a thieve_

 _The rest will perish if they stay_

 _So leave now, or be good prey._

He choked on the last word and the paper fluttered to the ground. Even Nico looked slightly impressed. The sinking feeling in Leo's chest stayed. Every instinct told him to run. _It's just a haunted house, it's just a haunted house...prey, prey, prey, pray! Dear dad, I pray to you; don't let me get turned into a zombie! Prey, prey prey!_

Reyna growled. "I'm no one's prey!" and she marched inside. Annabeth marched right after her, followed by Percy, Jason, Nico, Frank, and Piper. Leo motioned for Hazel to walk in. "Ladies first." he grinned.

Hazel gave a weak smile and stepped inside. Leo followed her. He heard a creaking sound and realized just in time what was going to happen, pulling his foot forward around two milliseconds before the door slammed on it.

A large gong echoed through the hall as it closed. The cackling came next. Like the rattling, it started small, until it rose to such a volume that Leo covered his ears, and saw everyone doing so.

The it stopped

So suddenly.

And everything went dark.

Leo's ears rang with the laughter. It was dark-so dark it hurt, it was pressing on him, collapsing his chest, he could breathe, he needed light-it was all he could do from letting out an audible intake of breath-

From the gasps of Nico, Annabeth, and Percy, he could imagine they were having similar experiences. What was wrong with him? He had never been afraid of the dark…

Not like this.

Never like this.

But then again, he had never been in a dark quite like this before.

There came a strangled cry of help, but from whom he didn't know. He could hear Percy's frantic, trembling whispers to comfort Annabeth, Nico's hyperventilating gasps, and a third voice of which he couldn't make out, probably the same person who had cried out in fear. He heard Percy shout, "NO!" and then light flashed in Leo's eyes.

The torches on the wall suddenly caught fire, and Leo backed up. Something in his chest eased a bit. He could see Nico's face shining with sweat, Percy looking around wildly, and...Reyna, who was slumped against the wall, unconscious.

Jason immediately rushed to help her. The knot in Leo's chest tightened. Instead of kneeling next to her, he looked around, putting one hand on his tool belt, ready to pull out a hammer or breath mints, whichever came out first.

That's when he heard it.

Felt it, more like.

A sharp wind against his face, and a shadow racing by him. But not a person, just a shadow. An element of the same darkness that had enveloped them. He heard Percy yell in rage. He turned to see the green-eyed boy pound his fist against the wall, making dust fall from the ceiling.

He expected Annabeth to come comfort him, ask him what was wrong, before he realized what was wrong himself.

Annabeth was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy punched the wall again, making more dust fall. There was a fire in his eyes Leo had seen few times. "Give her back!" he shouted. No answer. "That's it," Percy growled, "I'm getting out of here."

He raised one hand, and Leo, somehow, knew what was going to happen before it did. Any moment now, the sea would crash in and devour the walls of the house. But all that happened was a soft salty scent of sind and- his legs were lifted off the ground- and he slammed into the wall, making more dust fall down. Jason helped Percy to his feet.

Frank looked troubled. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I couldn't reach any water...anywhere," Percy groaned.

Jason shook his head. "Let me try." he concentrated, scrunching up his face, the same thing happened to him. His feet left the ground, and his head hit the back wall with a _SNAP_.

There was movement behind them. Leo clutched his belt, Percy grabbed Riptide, and Jason stuck his hand into his pocket where they all knew he had one hand on his gold goin. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they realized it was just Reyna getting to her feet.

Leo pulled Nico aside. "You said you'd been here before. Did anything like this happen?"

Nico shrugged and turned away. "I don't know."

"Maze of Bones? Treasure? Ruby's Eye? RING A BELL!?"

"No." Nico didn't meet Leo's eyes. Leo broke character and grabbed him by the shirt.

"Listen, ghost boy," Leo snarled, "Annabeth is gone, taken prisoner, dead, who knows where. If you know something and didn't tell us…" he didn't need to finish the threat. Nico understood and staggered back, glancing at Leo with an expression that clearly worried for his mental health.

Leo got that expression a lot.

Reyna couldn't recall a thing. Something heavy had hit her head and she had yelled out. Leo called back on the moment...that still didn't explain the third voice he had heard. He tapped Jason on the back. Jason jumped about three feet in the air and Leo found his nose facing a golden coin. He raised his eyebrows and lowered it.

"Sorry. I guess I'm a little jumpy, because...uh…" Jason ran his hand through his blond hair, somehow making it smoother than it already was.

 _How does his hair_ do _that?_ Leo thought irritably.

Frank suddenly walked towards the end of the hall. "Uh, guys? Duh! The door!"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "It's locked."

"How do _you_ know?"

The black-haired boy shrugged. "It's always locked in stuff like this. Think about it. Every movie you've ever seen where people disappear, doors slam, and the main characters can't use their powers, the door is always locked."

Frank sighed. "I don't believe that...but...if you say so."

Piper touched a wall hesitantly, staring into the darkness of the hallway. "There's only one was to go from here," she muttered.

"Up?" Leo asked hopefully.

They all stared at him.

"Actually, no." Percy said, "I think we should go through there." Leo followed his finger. It was pointing towards a door that they had somehow all missed.

"Why?"

"Creepy hallway, or innocent-looking door?" Reyna said skeptically.

Hazel shrugged. "Innocent _looking_." she pushed open the door. "Well it's empty enough. But I can't really see much. If Leo had his fire, the maybe he could-AUGH!" Hazel began to bat her hair and face like there was something there the rest of them couldn't see.

Frank was immediately there. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Stupid cobwebs."

Leo smiled slightly. If Annabeth had been here, next to the possibly spider-infested cobwebs, she-

It was impossible-and yet Leo heard it. A tiny sound like a muffled squeak. Tiny pat of feet retreating down the hallway, trying to be as quiet as possible...and they would have gone unnoticed, except they sounded exactly like...no. He had imagined it. He had been thinking about her, and, and-

"Leo, are you coming?" Percy looked slightly irritated. "We're waiting for you."

"Yeah…" Leo muttered. "Sure, let's go."

As Percy closed the door behind him, Leo almost winced. Was the guy _trying_ to get himself locked in a room?

It was completely dark. Leo walked three steps forward and immediately crashed into someone.

"Ow!" came Piper's irritated whisper.

"That's my foot!" winced Jason.

"Sorry, I thought that was Frank's foot." Hazel gasped.

"Hey!" Frank pouted.

"Too-huh? ACK!" Percy gasped. "Someone just slipped by me. It was weird!"

Leo felt panic sink and form into a pit that rested in his stomach. Whoever was moving around knew how to get to someplace in the dark without bumping into anything...all while being super quiet. His mind flashed back to the odd sound of feet and the shadow the whizzed by him in the dark. The cold, silent, dark.

Leo was slapped back to the present by a yell of help that sliced through the whispering silence they had made. There came sounds of struggling and gasping in effort from the far corner, and then from the left, then from above them, below them, all around…

The pressure of the darkness thinned and the lights flickered on. Hazel turned around and screamed. In the place where Nico had stood, there was nothing but a human skull and rippling shadows.

Nico di Angelo had been taken.

* * *

Hazel immediately burst into tears all over Frank. He hugged her, and Percy looked away. Reyna seemed strickin, and Jason was just staring at the skull. Leo knew he was thinking the same thing they all were. _How long until I'm next?_

He felt as if some part of him had just dropped. If something could get to both Nico _and_ Annabeth, with Nico being a child of the Big Three, and Annabeth being the smartest person Leo knew…

He took in his surroundings. They were in what looked like an indoor swimming pool. The odd thing about it was that it was completely clean, to the point where Leo had to look for dust, and didn't find any. The marble shone with polish and the water was crystal-clear.

Piper turned to Percy. "I thought you said there wasn't any water around here!"

Percy shrugged. "I-I didn't feel any. I still don't. Whatever that is, it's not under my control."

Jason snorted. "Anyone want to go for a dip?"

Frank stared warily at the swimming pool. "I wouldn't even dip my nachos in there."

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "What's a nacho?"

Leo cleared his throat. "Well, my fine friend, a nacho-"

Reyna cut him off. "Not the time."

The seven of them were silent, knowing that they had shared a silent lifeboat of hope among a sea of despair. Leo just wished that none of them would drown...he had shared much more with them than a proverbial lifeboat.

*pop*

Percy's head shot up. "What was that?"

*pop pop* *popopopopop*

Leo looked around wildly, and saw the rest of them doing the same. Bubbles had formed on the top of the pool. He couldn't help but imagine that the noise was the sound of life, and it was popping their lifeboat back to reality. " _Wake up, Leo Valdez! Hang onto the edge, and try not to drown in a proverbial sea using a proverbial lifeboat in a hypothetical situation!"_

 _My_ friends _are real, though._ Leo's heart filled with warmth.

Something hot and wet splashed him back to the present. He gasped. The swimming pool was churning, spinning, making a whirlpool that seemed to lead to someplace that went much deeper than the bottom of the marble floor.

Leo watched in horror as it rose above their heads until it touched the ceiling, where it seemed to stop. Out of the corner of his eye, he registered Jason give Percy a slight nod, and suddenly Percy hit the wall with a THUMP, the back of his head repeatedly slapping against the marble. His arms were outstretched, and slowly...slowly...Leo stared as the whirlpool it started jerk back and forth.

"Percy, are you insane?" Piper cried.

Percy's face was beaded with sweat, and he was gasping with effort. He squeezed his eyes shut, but when he opened them again, they shone with adrenaline. "I'm trying to-ack!" his head hit the wall again. His whole body was convulsing. "I'm trying to control it!" Percy laughed a little.

 _His head must be hitting that wall a little harder then I imagined..._ Leo thought. Everyone was so _noble_ _._ They always had to play the hero. Leo grinned. He couldn't help but think of what Annabeth had to go through every day. No wonder she called him an idiot so much.

There came a crash as Percy slumped to the floor, muttering incomprehensibly. With the whirlpool now free from Percy's grasp, it lifted him off the floor like a dog and Percy screamed. The lights shut off again, though Leo already knew what had happened when they came on.

He got to his feet and wished he could make some kind of flame. Some kind of kindling to help reassure that this wasn't just a dream.

For a moment he really, truly thought about it. Percy was gone, right? No one...actually needed him. Leo looked around and realized that everyone obviously felt the same. Hazel was crying on Frank, who's own eyes looked misty, and Piper and Reyna were huddled up in a corner, surprisingly, while Jason just stared into the now-empty pool and opened and closed his mouth a few times.

Percy hadn't _just_ been in the lifeboat, Leo realized, he had been the sea supporting it. He had supported them all.

And now he was gone.

And they were floating in a leaky boat above an empty void.


	3. Kings and Queens

**JESUS I'm sorry, it's been waaay to long. I was looking over all my reviews and I saw MATT oh my god. Matt thank you so much for making me take this story off hiatus because I lost the plan for the story and was like "eh" and stopped and THEN I SAW YOU MATT AND I WAS LIKE YESSSS I MUST CONTINUE!**

 **Also dude MATT YOU LOVE AGENTS OF SHIELD TOO I saw ur review on Agent Valdez I was like OH MY FRICKIN GOD ITS MAAAATT THE AMAZING! Well...that was either you or some other guy named Matt but I like to think it's Matt the Amazing :P.**

 **MATT MATT MATT MATT**

* * *

The world was spinning for Leo, and there was a ringing in his ears he could barely notice. It was still dark, but light enough that he could still see everyone else. Frank and Piper were just staring at the pool in shock, which was as calm and innocent as it had always been, Reyna and Hazel both looked more determined than ever, and Jason kicked a wall in fury. Leo didn't know what to feel. A mixture of everything was the result, and he just ended up staring around at everyone.

The hand on Leo's shoulder shocked him, breaking him out of a trance. It was Jason, his face grief-stricken. "We have to keep going," he murmured into Leo's ear. The words were enough to snap him out of it, and he nodded, standing up, (when had he sat down?) and shook Frank's shoulder. Frank turned, and Leo could see his eyes clearly. They were clear brown, like piercing glass.

Broken glass.

And Leo understood.

 _One of which will leave a mark._

Not a scratch, or anything visible, but an inside mark. The kind that stays with people forever for the rest of their lives. For the part of the crazy premonition that had seemed so mild, Leo couldn't help but fear what had to come for them.

Piper opened the door, letting them all through, and Leo followed Jason forwards. It was automatically established he was the leader with Percy gone. Jason looked carefully down both hallways, before taking a cautious step forward, the floor creaking ominously. Leo's eyes darted around the dark hallway, watching as Jason ran his hand over the first door, which creaked open just a crack, without him even turning the knob. He took a deep breath, before opening the rest of it. Leo braced himself for a monster or creepy yard, but it was just a room, full of looming stone statues. A maze of white and black marble, echoing his footsteps. A maze of pale faces, alive and still. _A maze of skin and bone._

The lights flickered on, and the six of them shielded their eyes, not used to the bright flares. When Leo's eyes had adjusted, he realized they weren't just statues, they were…

"It's chess." Reyna murmured.

Piper nodded. "It's like Harry Potter I guess. Beat the chess game, keep on going."

"I'm not going to ask what Harry Potter is." Hazel's golden eyes shone with anxiety. "But...do we _really_ want to keep on going?"

Leo glared at Hazel. "Of course we do, if we want to find Annabeth and Nico and Percy!"

Piper tried the door on the opposite side of the room. "Locked, of course."

"Look." Frank pointed to the white side of the board. "The key. It's in the white king's crown."

Leo felt a shudder going down his spine. _A treasure found beneath the stone._

Jason stared at the table, and took a step into the black king's square, staring the gleaming chess piece down. "King." It was a statement, one that Jason made without taking his eyes off the board. The black king waited, and Jason kept staring. Finally, the king moved quietly off the board, his obsidian eyes fixated on Jason as he took his spot.

"Dear holy god of chess," muttered Leo sarcastically.

Reyna took a step. "Queen."

Piper glanced at Reyna for a second, before deciding. "Knight."

Frank. "Rook."

Hazel. "Bishop."

Leo. "Can't I watch?"

Jason looked at the black king, who shook his marble head with a creak. Leo bit his lip and said, "Pawn."

He didn't know exactly which one would move, but after a couple seconds, the one on the far right parted to let Leo take his place. The board was silent. Leo groaned. "This is so stupid!" he was about to walk off when Piper yelled, "No! Don't move."

That seemed to be some kind of cue. The white king pointed his staff, and a pawn scraped forward two squares. Jason took a deep breath, yelled, "Pawn to C5!" and waited.

"Oooooookay. Um...you." Jason pointed at the black marble pawn, which turned to face him, obsidian eyes unblinking. "What's your name?"

The pawn turned his head, making a creaking sound. _Dddaahhhhff. Ddaahhv. Daavvvee…_

Jason nodded. "Ok, Dave. Go there." he commanded, and the Dave obeyed, sweeping across the floor.

Reyna and Jason worked together like an unbeatable team. The first shock came when Reyna took a white pawn. The statue was lifted into the air and slammed against the wall, cracked into pieces. Frank cringed, glancing at Hazel's worried eyes. She nodded, and waited as the game continued to play out.

The gameplay continued, both sides taking pieces. They were missing Barry the bishop, Kyle the knight, and three pawns. (Dave, Fred, and Barry Jr.) Jason and Reyna kept ordering people, taking pieces of their own. Leo himself took a pawn and a rook.

Hazel had just taken a pawn when Jason took a deep breath. Leo's stomach sank, knowing whatever he would say to Reyna, he didn't want to say it. Jason locked eyes with her. "Reyna...I need you to move. Six squares sideways. It'll corner their rook and...put their king in check."

Piper shook her head. "Jason, wait." She looked at him from the corner of her eye, trying to figure him out. "I don't think-"

"No. I know what I'm doing."

"If that-"

"I know what I'm doing, Piper!"

Piper looked slightly hurt, but turned her attention to Reyna. "If you go there, the queen will take you. We can't lose another valuable person."

Reyna nodded, her gaze like steel. "I know. If...if it gets them back, I'll go."

"No!" Piper shook her head. "I'll go."

Jason stared. "Piper, no! What are you doing?"

It was too late. Piper leaped four squares and took a deep breath. "Check." Her eyes shone, and locked with Jason's. Leo stared at Jason, watching him. And then...he mouthed something. Something barely visible. _I'm sorry._

The white marble queen flung Piper against the wall, and she yelled in pain when she hit it, then fell to the ground, gasped, coughed once, and stayed deathly still. Jason nearly took a step, but Reyna put her hand up. _Don't move._ Everyone was staring, shook, at Piper. She faced away from them, so there was no way to tell whether she was breathing.

And then...it was impossible. A sound like a thousand of the quietest noises filled the room, and Piper's body melted into the shadows.

"Oh my gods…" Leo wasn't sure who had said it, but they were right. Piper...she...she had...Frank, Hazel, and Reyna were staring at where Piper had disappeared. Jason just turned away, stumbling against a wall for support, but not before Leo had seen him breathing hard.

Leo shuddered. "Is it just me, or did Piper just…"

"Shadow travel." Hazel muttered. "I...it looked like it, but...I don't see how-"

Jason turned back, his eyes steeled. "We can't worry about that now. We have to _finish this damn game._ "

Frank nodded, his eyes fixated on Jason. "What do we do?"

Reyna and Jason glanced at each other, conversing silently. Leo felt the dread hanging over the room like a dark cloud none of them could avoid, ready to start raining on them at any moment.

"You, um...Dan was it?

The pawn shook his head.

"Oh right, sorry Steve. Anyways, move forward please."

Steve dipped his head and obliged, moving itself in front of Jason. A white knight leapt over Steve, grazing the black pawn's head, landing in front of Leo, who flinched. The knight's blank eyes were turned right at him, fixated on Leo's scrawny figure. Leo cleared his throat. "Hi...um…" The knight turned his flank in aid, and Leo spotted a name carved on the marble. "Hi, Joe."

Jason looked exhausted and burnt out like Leo had never seen, but kept going. "Frank, move six spaces forward. That puts you one away from the white king, and that's...that's...check again. Look at where everyone is. With Piper...gone...we have to fix some things."

Frank nodded, taking a breath. Leo got the feeling Frank understood something behind Jason's words that took a little digging below the surface. Everyone watched as Frank took six steps forward. His forehead shone with sweat as he stared at the gleaming key in the crown. For a moment no one could breathe, and then-

It happened in a flash. Frank snatched the key and ran, sprinting through the maze of statues, dodging the pawns and leaping over squares. Leo watched, horror-struck, as two taken pawns crossed their staffs, making an X. Frank tried to slide under them both, but they caught him. He struggled, and they pried the key from his hands, sliding it over to the white king, who calmly put it back in his crown. Frank was dragged away through the door they had originated from.

And then he gasped. "Oh gods...no! NO!"

Hazel leaped off her position. "Frank!"

"Hazel, stop!" Jason yelled, reaching out his hand, but it was much too late. Two more pawns grabbed Hazel's shirt and lifted her off the ground. She tried to wriggle free, but to no success. She was walked out the door just like Frank, and then…

It happened again. A yell came from outside, but Leo couldn't tell who it was. Whispers filled the air, and shadows creeped through the cracks in the door, then-they were gone. The pawns returned, and went right back into position, holding their staffs as if nothing had happened.

It was silence. Leo shuddered looking around at-at-Reyna. And Jason. And him. They were all that were left of everyone. And the realization hit Leo like lightning. _One will run and one will leave/If they attempt to make a thieve._ Frank had tried to steal the key and run, and Hazel had willingly left to find Frank. Now they were both gone, and the three of them were left.

Everyone seemed to realize it simultaneously. They had gone from nine to three in an hour. Jason seemed to take it especially hard. He seemed exhausted beyond comprehension, and the color had all but left his face. Leo, shuddering, realized what he had to do.

Taking three steps forward, he stared into the white marble eyes of the king and growled, "Checkmate."

* * *

 **So...yikes. That happened. Special thanks to Jason Senan and Matt for INSPIRATION AND RAINBOWS OF LIGHT.**


End file.
